Ask the Housewife: Round Seven

Okay, where or how do you find all these farms where you get your chickens, eggs, butter, etc.?

I’ve discovered some through word of mouth and some through research online. A great place to start is EatWild.com. Also, for you locals, BuyLocalPA.org is a great resource.

If memory serves me correctly, you have hypothyroidism. Have you seen any changes in that since you’ve started eating more whole foods? I’d love to know because right now I’m on a pretty high dose of Synthroid and would love to find someway to bring my levels under control without taking such a high dose of synthroid.

My hypothyroidism has always been pretty consistent since it was discovered. I’ve never struggled with regulating it, and frankly, didn’t even have the common symptoms associated with it. So I can’t really say I’ve noticed a difference.

And last but not least, do you have favorite cookbooks for cooking all the veggies and chicken you’ve been eating? Cookbooks for people like me who really don’t like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen but who want to put healthy, delicious food on the table.

My favorite recipe books are by Barefoot Contessa, but they aren’t exactly for people who don’t want to spend time in the kitchen. I think for those who want to eat nutritious meals and aren’t into fancy cooking, the easiest thing to do is to keep it pretty basic — meat with a side of veggies (and perhaps rice or quinoa, if your family likes their grains). I usually roast my chicken (or grill a steak or burger) and serve it straight with a side of veggies. I often make white chili or enchiladas with the chicken meat. We also make a lot of chicken noodle soup. This Herbed Chicken Rosé is another family favorite. It’s great with a side of veggies and rice.

Felicia says:

My biggest question is the whole wheat flour. I have a recipe for pancakes that call for whole wheat pastry flour but all I can find is Old Fashioned Whole Wheat Flour. I know there’s a difference but how much of one and where do you find the pastry kind?

Felicia, I buy the whole wheat pastry flour at my local whole foods store. I do believe I saw it at the national chain Whole Foods as well. You may be better off buying it online. In fact, I’ve been meaning to compare prices online for my own needs. Rob’s Red Mill is a reputable company, and you can buy Whole Wheat Pastry Flour by the case on their website. It’s a great price for the flour, compared to what I pay at the whole foods store, but the shipping costs 2X as much as the flour. URGH. King Arthur has it, and shipping, while significant, is not unreasonable. Amazon even has it.

Also the substituting of oils has me confused. For instance, when baking, what oil do you use instead of vegetable oil? What do you use instead of canola and shortening?

I generally use coconut oil in place of vegetable oil in baking. Or butter. Same with canola and shortening — coconut oil.

And a PC question on Mayo has me intrigued also because I love me some mayo! lol

Yeah, I admit to still buying Kraft mayo. We hardly ever use it, so I haven’t bothered making it, although in Round Five, we discussed this, and several people make their own using olive oil and like it very much.

And as an aside, I just finished In Defense of Food… omg it is such a great book. Thanks for suggesting it.

YES! It was the book that got the ball rolling for us, so I have a special fondness for that one. LOL!!

Okay, I think we can wrap up this series with the next post! That is, unless y’all come up with more questions for me. Which is perfectly fine.

And I always welcome your feedback. What are some of your favorite “whole foods” meals to make? And remember, we can always chat over at my Savvy Source group. It’s a great place to share ideas. In fact, I have a conversation going over there about how our eating habits have changed since discovering the benefits of whole foods. Feel free to join in!

About Jo-Lynne Shane

Nielsen-Ranked Top 50 influential mom online, Jo-Lynne Shane is founder, editor, and primary writer of this personal lifestyle blog (formerly Musings of a Housewife) where she shares wearable style and beauty tips for the suburban housewife, healthy recipes and meal plans, reviews of family travel destinations, and anecdotes about life as a Christian woman, wife and mom of three.

Jacquelin, I bought a quarter a cow this fall. It turned out to be a great investment. Brought the price of the meat down to about $4.99 a pound – including the steaks as well as ground beef. Consider that some of that steak would be as much as $19 a pound at the grocery store (the filet) and it works out. It’s local raised, grass fed, all that jazz, and I drove out to the farm to pick it up so I can see first hand how the cows are cared for.

I don’t buy chickens in bulk, and they are very expensive. I need to see if I can find someone who sells in bulk at a reduced rate, but I haven’t bothered b/c I’m happy with the farm where we buy them and I’m lazy, lol.